Barbecue oven and method of operation

ABSTRACT

A barbecue oven that enables operator control of the combustion process through selective control of gas flow through and/or around a hot, oxygenated bed of coals and further enables automatic control of oven temperature through thermostatic regulation of forced draft.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure relates to barbecue ovens, and more specificallyto a firebox, draft system and method of operation that improvesoperator control of the combustion process and oven temperature.

BACKGROUND OF THE RELATED ART

Barbecue ovens are used to cook meat with the hot gases of a wood and/orcharcoal fire. While most barbecue ovens are capable of producingexcellent cooked meat, they suffer from a number of drawbacks, such aslimited control of the combustion process and difficult control of oventemperature.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, abarbecue oven is provided that includes a firebox, a cooking chamber, apassageway connecting the firebox to the cooking chamber, and a forceddraft device configured to withdraw gases from the cooking chamber. Thefirebox comprises a vented charcoal tray disposed within a housing, anupper chamber above the charcoal tray, configured to hold wood andcharcoal and comprising a vent configured to admit combustion air to theupper portion of the charcoal tray, and a lower chamber below thecharcoal tray configured to collect ash. The cooking chamber is ventedand configured to hold meat. The passageway connects the firebox to thecooking chamber and comprises an inlet configured to receive gases fromthe lower chamber of the firebox and an outlet configured to dischargegases into the cooking chamber. The forced draft device isthermostatically controlled and comprised in the vent in the cookingchamber, and when activated causes flow from atmosphere, through thevent in the upper chamber of the firebox to the upper portion of thecharcoal tray, downward through the vent in the charcoal tray to thelower chamber of the firebox, through the passageway to the cookingchamber, and through the vent in the cooking chamber back to atmosphere.In this manner, the gases produced by the decomposition of wood andcharcoal are thoroughly burned and oven temperature is controlledautomatically.

Other systems, methods, features, and advantages of the presentdisclosure will be or become apparent to one with skill in the art uponexamination of the following drawings and detailed description. It isintended that all such additional systems, methods, features, andadvantages be included within this description, be within the scope ofthe present disclosure, and be protected by the accompanying claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

Aspects of the disclosure can be better understood with reference to thefollowing drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarilyto scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating theprinciples of the present disclosure. Moreover, in the drawings, likereference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the severalviews, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional diagram of a barbecue oven in accordancewith an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional diagram of a barbecue oven in accordancewith an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional diagram of a barbecue oven in accordancewith an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional diagram of a barbecue oven in accordancewith an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional diagram of a barbecue oven in accordancewith an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional diagram of a barbecue oven in accordancewith an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 7 is a diagram of a barbecue oven having a firebox on top, inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the description that follows, like parts are marked throughout thespecification and drawings with the same reference numerals,respectively. The drawing figures might not be to scale, and certaincomponents can be shown in generalized or schematic form and identifiedby commercial designations in the interest of clarity and conciseness.

FIG. 1 is a diagram of barbecue oven 100 in accordance with an exemplaryembodiment of the present disclosure. Barbecue oven 100 can be made ofcarbon steel, stainless steel or other suitable materials and can bewelded, riveted, or formed in other suitable manners. Barbecue oven 100includes firebox 200 that includes charcoal tray 210 having vent 211disposed therein. Firebox upper chamber 220 is located above charcoaltray 210 and is configured to hold wood 221, charcoal 222, and ash 223.Firebox upper chamber 220 also includes vent 223, which is configured toadmit combustion air to the upper portion of charcoal tray 210. Fireboxlower chamber 230 is located below charcoal tray 210 and is configuredto collect ash 231. Cooking chamber 300 is configured to hold meat 301and includes vent 302, which can be used to exhaust heated gas fromcooking chamber 300 or for other suitable purposes.

Passageway 400 connects firebox 200 to cooking chamber 300 and includesinlet 401 and outlet 402. Forced draft device 500 is disposed in cookingchamber vent 302 and generates a pressure differential that causes airto flow from the atmosphere surrounding barbecue oven 100, through vent223 in firebox upper chamber 220 to the upper portion of charcoal tray210, downward through vent 211 in charcoal tray 210 to firebox lowerchamber 230, through passageway 400 to cooking chamber 300, and throughvent 302 back to the atmosphere. This action thoroughly combusts thegases generated by pyrolyzing wood 221 as they pass through hot,oxygenated charcoal 222 and produces a light, sweet flavor profile onmeat 301 or other foods that are placed within cooking chamber 300.

Forced draft device 500 can further include a thermostat controllerhaving a user-selectable temperature set point, wherein a thermocoupleis disposed within cooking chamber 300. In this exemplary embodiment,when the temperature measured in cooking chamber 300 using thethermocouple is lower than the user-selectable temperature set point,forced draft device 500 can be activated and can draw uncombusted woodsmoke from firebox upper chamber 220 through vent 211 of charcoal tray210, thus creating clean, fully combusted smoke that is subsequentlydrawn through passageway 400 and into cooking chamber 300. This processcan continue until the temperature within cooking chamber 300 increasespast the set point, at which point the thermostat can turn the forceddraft device off.

In one exemplary embodiment, barbecue oven 100 can include one or morefeatures from the apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,895,942,entitled “Barbecue Firebox and Method of Operation,” issued Mar. 1,2011, which is hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes as ifset forth herein in its entirety.

FIG. 2 is a diagram of barbecue oven 100 in accordance with an exemplaryembodiment of the present disclosure. In this exemplary embodiment,forced draft device 500 is located in passageway 400 and is of suitabledesign, such as an eductor, so as to tolerate the higher gastemperatures to which forced draft device 500 will be exposed in thislocation.

FIG. 3 is a diagram of barbecue oven 100 in accordance with an exemplaryembodiment of the present disclosure. In this exemplary embodiment,forced draft device 500 is attached to the firebox upper chamber vent223 and is designed to allow high temperature backflow when deactivated,thereby preventing gases generated by pyrolyzing wood 221 from enteringfirebox lower chamber 230 uncombusted.

FIG. 4 is a diagram of barbecue oven 100 in accordance with an exemplaryembodiment of the present disclosure. In this exemplary embodiment,passageway 400 additionally comprises second inlet 403, which isconfigured to receive gases from firebox upper chamber 220 and whereinactivation of forced draft device 500 additionally causes flow fromfirebox upper chamber 220, through passageway 400 to cooking chamber300, bypassing hot, oxygenated charcoal 222. In this manner, partiallycombusted wood gases are provided to cooking chamber 300, whichcontributes a heavier, smoky flavor to meat 301 or other food in cookingchamber 300. While excessive volumes of such partially combusted woodgas can impart a harsh or bitter taste to the food in cooking chamber300 if the food cooks for a long time (such as a beef brisket, pork buttor pork shoulder that might be cooked for six hours or more), if thefood is not going to be cooked for a long period of time (such as achicken or fish), the additional partially combusted wood gas can helpto impart a wood smoked flavor to the food.

FIG. 5 is a diagram of barbecue oven 100 in accordance with an exemplaryembodiment of the present disclosure. Passageway 400 additionallycomprises damper 404, which enables the operator to select light, sweetgases from firebox lower chamber 230 and/or heavy, smoky gases fromfirebox upper chamber 220. In this manner, the proportions of fullycombusted wood gas and partially combusted wood gas that are introducedto the firebox can be selected and adjusted by the user.

FIG. 6 is a diagram of barbecue oven 100 in accordance with an exemplaryembodiment of the present disclosure. Dampers 404 are of poppet valvestyle and enable the operator to select light, sweet gases from fireboxlower chamber 230 and/or heavy, smoky gases from firebox upper chamber220.

FIG. 7 is a diagram of a barbecue oven 100 having a firebox on top, inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Inthis exemplary embodiment, firebox 200 can have a rectangular crosssection and is disposed on top of cooking chamber 300. Passageway 400extends downward from and adjacent to firebox 200 and cooking chamber300, and can enter cooking chamber 300 at the bottom, so as to create amore even distribution of heat within cooking chamber 300.

Although exemplary embodiments of a system and method of the presentinvention have been described in detail herein, those skilled in the artwill also recognize that various substitutions and modifications can bemade to the systems and methods without departing from the scope andspirit of the appended claims.

1-20. (canceled)
 21. A barbecue oven comprising: a firebox; a cookingchamber; a manifold coupled between the firebox and the cooking chamber,the manifold containing: a valve configured to block or draw uncombustedsmoke from the firebox to the cooking chamber; and a passage configuredto draw combusted smoke through a solid fuel bed of the firebox to thecooking chamber.
 22. The barbecue oven of claim 21 further comprising aforced draft device configured to draw uncombusted smoke from the valveand combusted smoke from the passage.
 23. The barbecue oven of claim 21wherein the firebox further comprises a solid fuel tray disposed withina housing and having a vent.
 24. The barbecue oven of claim 21 whereinthe firebox further comprises an upper chamber above a solid fuel tray,configured to hold solid fuel and having the valve.
 25. The barbecueoven of claim 21 wherein the firebox further comprises a lower chamberbelow a charcoal tray, configured to collect ash and having thepassageway.
 26. The barbecue oven of claim 21 wherein the manifoldfurther comprises an elongated passageway containing the valve, thepassageway and coupled to the cooking chamber.
 27. The barbecue oven ofclaim 21 wherein the manifold is an elongated manifold that is disposedadjacent to both of the firebox and the cooking chamber.
 28. Thebarbecue oven of claim 21 wherein the manifold is an elongated manifoldthat is disposed adjacent to both of the firebox and the cooking chamberand comprises a first inner wall section disposed between the fireboxand a second inner wall portion disposed between the cooking chamber.29. The barbecue oven of claim 21 wherein the manifold is an elongatedmanifold that is disposed adjacent to both of the firebox and thecooking chamber and comprises a first inner wall section disposedbetween the firebox and a second inner wall portion disposed between thecooking chamber, and the firebox is disposed on top of the cookingchamber and is structurally isolated from the cooking chamber by themanifold.
 30. A barbecue oven comprising: a firebox; a cooking chamber;a passageway coupled to the firebox and the cooking chamber, thepassageway containing; a valve configured to block or draw uncombustedsmoke from the firebox to the passageway; and a vent configured to drawcombusted smoke through a solid fuel bed of the firebox to thepassageway.
 31. The barbecue oven of claim 30 further comprising aforced draft device configured to draw uncombusted smoke from the valveand combusted smoke from the vent.
 32. The barbecue oven of claim 30wherein the firebox further comprises an upper chamber above a solidfuel tray, configured to hold solid fuel and having the valve.
 33. Thebarbecue oven of claim 30 wherein the firebox further comprises a lowerchamber below a solid fuel tray, configured to collect ash and havingthe vent.
 34. The barbecue oven of claim 30 wherein the passageway iscoupled to the valve, the vent and the cooking chamber.
 35. A barbecueoven comprising: a firebox; a cooking chamber; a valve configured toblock or draw uncombusted smoke from the firebox to the cooking chamberthrough a passageway; and a vent configured to draw combusted smokethrough a solid fuel bed of the firebox to the cooking chamber throughthe passageway.
 36. The barbecue oven of claim 35 further comprising aforced draft device configured to draw uncombusted smoke from the valveand combusted smoke from the vent.
 37. The barbecue oven of claim 35wherein the firebox further comprises a charcoal tray disposed within ahousing and having a second vent to an external environment throughwhich oxygenated air is drawn.
 38. The barbecue oven of claim 35 whereinthe firebox further comprises an upper chamber above a solid fuel tray,configured to hold solid fuel and having a portion of the valve.
 39. Thebarbecue oven of claim 35 wherein the firebox further comprises a lowerchamber below a solid fuel tray, configured to collect ash and having aportion of the vent.
 40. The barbecue oven of claim 35 wherein theelongated passageway includes a wall that contains a portion of thevalve.